Me Before You

After losing the job she loved in a cafe, twenty-seven-year-old Louisa takes a job as a companion and non-medical caretaker for Will, a thirty-five-year-old man who suffered a road accident two years prior that left him a C5-6 quadriplegic. When she discovers that he is determined to go to Switzerland in six months to avail himself of legal assisted suicide, she nearly quits, but eventually she agrees to stay on and (unbeknownst to Will) try to convince him that life is worth living by finding him activities he can participate in and getting him out of the house. Eventually she develops feelings for him, and their friendship begins to change her life.

I liked a lot about this book. It's written well, the characters are well drawn, and show more Moyes's depiction of Will seems respectful, fully realized, and well researched. But I didn't like it nearly as much as I would have liked to. The narrative does that thing I can never decide whether is an editing error or a deliberate decision of dropping in minor new details in ways that read (to me, anyway) as references to things we should already know about. (I. hate. this.) But much more bothersome was my impatience with the story. Once you know that Will wants to kill himself, there's only two ways things are going to go. Either Louisa will successfully change his mind (I won't say this would be impossible to pull off well, but how? I mean, really, that would have such potential for sappy and for not regarding Will as a human being with choices, I just don't know how it would come together) or she won't. So I'm reading the whole second half of the book going, "This is either going to make me mad in the end or it's going to make me smad because it's heart wrenching but I've seen it coming for 200 pages." And I was never fully convinced of their love for one another (affection, yes; friendship; yes; deep respect, yes; desire for one another's happiness, yes; but not romantic love), and that made sitting through all that I knew was coming even less welcome. Finally, while I have no notion that Louisa was ever trying to use Will, I have this lingering sense that the book was. It's Louisa's story; we never get Will's point of view; ultimately Will's circumstances serve to make Louisa's life better (although, Will's life is better too. I don't know; maybe this assessment is unfair given the sensitive portrayal of Will and the reciprocal nature of the relationship, but in the end I had a bit of a sense of having been manipulated.

I will probably read more Moyes since I liked much about how this book was written and since so much of what I didn't like was probably plot-specific. But ultimately, Me Before You was kind of disappointing. show less

This isn't a bad book; I can understand all the hype behind it. It is well written and nicely paced, and the heroine is plain and "relateable" a la Bella Swan so that any reader can picture herself as Louisa. But Me Before You put a bad taste in my mouth. The implication here is that life as a disabled human being is not worth living. Will Traynor, the dashing quadriplegic at the center of this novel, has a supportive family (the plot is set into motion by his mother's search for a cheerful "helper" for Will to brighten his day), vast wealth and resources, and, by the end of the book, the love of a woman who knows exactly what she's getting into (since she's become his caretaker). However, none of that is good enough for Will, and as show more the reader we are supposed to understand that and even cheer him on as he ultimately makes the decision to leave it all behind. We are supposed to agree that since Will isn't able bodied, he shouldn't want to be alive. This is a very dangerous idea, and it makes me very, very uncomfortable that this is the conclusion of a popular novel that everyone seems to love. show less

I will never get over this book. EVER! Moyes' style is as witty, heartfelt, and moving. Her characters are unapologetically human as she addresses some of life's toughest challenges, feelings, and decisions. You feel for them and with them from start to finish.
I was happy, sad, angry, and laughed through uncontrollable tears the whole time. This book speaks volumes about the impact people can have on each other. I won't say that I was surprised to see some reviews that highlighted the "lost little girl shown the unlimited possibilities of life by a man, because you know she can't do it without a man." However, that is not what this story is about.
It's about how easy it is to be held back by the events that shape our lives. It's about show more complacency, acceptance, settling for what we think is all we will ever get/have.
More importantly, it's about how all of that can be changed because of one person. One story. One opportunity. It's about the impact relationships have on our lives, both positively and negatively. It's about how meeting people changes our perspective for ourselves and others. How people teach us to see the world in different ways. Teach us how to see something in ourselves we can't and how important it is to respect each other and our choices, no matter how different they may be.
It's about living life for you.
Read it. Love it. Read it again. Love it more! show less

Yeah, ok, I'm sorry.
I saw the movie before reading the book. I'm the worst person in the world. I'm aware of that.

But, God, was this a great book! I loved the writing, I fell in love with Will Traynor, and I certainly feel like I want to ask the world why it finds tea with a couple tears so delicious.

Lou is one of the best protagonists I've read. I wish she was my friend. Being in her head was interesting and different from most narrators.
Will... Will was a damaged soul. Life played him unfair cards, and, in the end, he only found a way to give life it's unfair cards back. I don't know about anyone else, but I felt so bad reading about him. I mean, I'm lazy as heck, and here you see a person who almost can't move AT ALL and the despair show more he feels at not being capable of independence anymore; at not being able to do things for himself. It makes you value your blessings in a completely different matter.

Overall, one of the best books I've read this year and a beautiful story about both discovering ourselves and the some-times-blurry line between right and wrong. show less

It’s not often that I’m so enthralled with a book that I feel compelled to read it, much to the neglect of everything else. Me Before You is such a book; I could not put it down! The novel is about a former corporate raider, athlete, and dashing bachelor Will Traynor, whose life is severely compromised through a roadside accident on a rainy night. Will becomes a quadriplegic, and he is determined to end his life in six months by visiting the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas. Will’s mother hires a perky young woman named Lou as a caregiver to try to dissuade her son from following his plan. Lou is a small town girl who likes to play it safe and has a boyfriend that is more interested in his sports ambitions rather than her. Lou is show more such an endearing character, much like someone out of a Sophie Kinsella novel. She is hilarious at times, upbeat and positive, but with her own feelings of insecurity and a lack of worldly experiences. It is in the relationship between Lou and Will that the story becomes so heartfelt. The bantering between the two characters had me giggling on the sofa at times, and bawling profusely at other moments. By the end of the story, I felt like an emotional train wreck….the book was that amazing! The author, Jojo Moyes, deftly addresses the complex issues of being a quadriplegic and euthanasia, and through a blog, she also incorporates some information about other quadriplegics who have been successful in adjusting to a new lifestyle. show less

I don't cry often, but the final pages of this book had my eyes tearing up. Rarely do I find a novel quite so powerful as this, but the relationship between Will and Louisa is both unconventionally sweet and deeply changing. I truly wished for a different ending, but I sympathize with the path chosen and the author did a good job of describing the trials of living life with a debilitating injury. Highly recommended, but know going in that it's about a man with a serious spinal cord injury, the trials of living life with limited mobility, and the choices one makes to support those one loves.

If ever there was a time where the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover” more promptly fit: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes would be it. Moyes’ novel with its red cover and a font that sees almost cutesy rather than provocative unveils a novel rich with tension and real life ethical conundrums.

Three elements grab the reader’s attention and never let it go in this quick but thought provoking read. First of all, the reader can’t help but be sympathetic to the plight of Will, a once vibrant and successful business man , whose life takes an unexpected turn when a tragic accident leaves him a quadriplegic. This plot set-up alone would probably make this a novel fresh with its unexpected topic choice, but Moyes takes our empathy show more for a ride when she has us consider such questions about life as: What does it mean to live a meaningful life? When is it right to make an ethical stand? What benefits are there from living outside of one’s comfort zone? and many more.
Another element that makes the novel an engaging experience is Moyes’s use of tension throughout as the reader cheers on Louisa Clark’s attempts at providing Will with experiences that will make him see that his new circumstances still leave many opportunities for a rich life. The budding romance between the two main characters adds to this tension and gives the novel’s resolution that much more emotional impact.

Moyes artfully transports the reader into the novel’s world with her character development. Lou, Katrina and Will all change throughout the novel and the reader is reminded of the challenges and joys of pursuing dreams and developing relationships with others. The experiences Will pushes Lou to undertake provide not only examples of living outside one’s comfort zone, but also symbolize the rich life that Will once led. Moyes's novel leaves me questioning my own choices about living life fully and yet with integrity. show less